


Potions for Expert Enemy Beginners

by rufusrant



Series: Comet Pie [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Amortentia, Arguing, Disagreement, Love Potion/Spell, M/M, for tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-18 01:53:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13089954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rufusrant/pseuds/rufusrant
Summary: Harry dislikes his Potions partner and how he smells because it gets in the way when they brew Amortentia.This was a request I got on Tumblr.Awesomedari2210made theSpanish translationof this. Gracias! :D





	Potions for Expert Enemy Beginners

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Español available: [Potions for Expert Enemy Beginners - Traducción](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14414019) by [dari2210](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dari2210/pseuds/dari2210)



Ron came down with a cold the day before their class was scheduled to brew Amortentia. Harry dropped by the hospital wing to pay him a visit, and he was asleep, ears smoking with Pepperup Potion.

Harry felt a little deterred about not having his usual partner- he and Ron always talked about all sorts of things and had a laugh to relieve their stress. But it would just be one-off and that would be fine.

Harry joined the line in front of the dungeons, waiting for Professor Slughorn to arrive. He surveyed around for Hermione, and found her talking to Pansy.

“Hermione! Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you’d like to partner up-”

Hermione turned and opened her mouth, but Pansy placed a hand on Hermione’s shoulder and smiled. “Sorry, Potter, but I got here first! Better luck next time, yeah?”

Hermione smiled at him apologetically, a little lost for words. But Harry felt alright really, deciding he’d just have Professor Slughorn assign him somebody. 

As everyone else took their seats, Harry strode up to Professor Slughorn, but he stumbled at a brusque push to his side. Draco walked past him huffily, bag slung over his shoulder.

“Professor Slughorn, my partner’s ill. I need another-”

Harry stood up sharply. “ _What?_ So is mine!”

Professor Slughorn looked pleasantly amused. “Excellent, my boys! Not so much about your partners, I mean, but it’s all solved! You’ll work together!”

Harry and Draco froze. 

“NO!” Harry yelped. “I’ll be fine by myself-”

“Professor, _please!_ ” Draco pleaded, looking agonised. You’re a reasonable man-”

“Come on now, less of the melodramatics, please!” Professor Slughorn said sternly, as he beckoned them to a worktable. Harry and Draco slumped next to each other. Harry winced at the limes-and-rosewood smell of Draco. He secretly thought it smelled pleasant, but _definitely not_ when the worst person in the world had it caked on him. Draco caught sight of Pansy at a neighbouring table waggling her eyebrows at him, and flipped her off.

“Let’s just get this over with, Malfoy.” said Harry listlessly. He rummaged for his textbook and wand.

* * *

It went disastrously, to say the least. Draco kept snatching whatever Harry had in his hands- “You’re doing that wrong!” “I can do it quicker!” “That’s not even one of the bloody ingredients! Are you _daft,_ Potter?- Harry believed he deserved an award for not running out of the dungeon screaming. And for not hexing Draco. He was going to murder Ron for leaving him with the prat.

It felt embarrassing to see Draco’s hands flying all over the cauldron, doing all the work. He’d yelled at Harry to stay out of his way earlier, which let to angry protesting. He now sat perched in his stool with his arms crossed and lips pouted, like a child who was being punished for misbehaving. When Draco dropped the rose petals in the cauldron and stepped back, Harry swooped in and grabbed Draco’s arm absentmindedly.

“Let me do something, I’ve barely done anything-”

Harry and Draco both flinched as if they’d been electrically shocked. One of them gasped, almost a screech, and then there was a very uncomfortable silence. Half the class turned to look at them. It was if they were stark naked. Harry heard a muffled giggle somewhere.

“Mr. Potter! Mr. Malfoy! What’s happened?” Professor Slughorn asked, standing up.

“N-nothing, Professor! We, uh, nearly burnt ourselves, but we’re fine!” Draco said quickly.

Hermione and Pansy were properly laughing now. Harry and Draco tried very hard not to notice. Draco shoved the container of Pearl Dust at Harry unceremoniously and snarled at him.

“Do. Not. Touch. Me.”

Harry looked him dead in the eye and _winked_. Draco’s own eyes widened for a second, frozen, but he quickly shook his head and turned away.

* * *

The scent of limes and rosewood spread into the air, and Harry thought he would suffocate. He began to cough and had to set down the ladle he was stirring with. Draco was looking at him disdainfully, holding his nose.

“Merlin’s bollocks, Potter. How much were you polishing that posh Firebolt of yours?”

“What?”

“You absolutely _reek_ of Fleetwood’s High-Finish-”

“Look who’s talking! How much cologne did you put on?!”

Their Amortentia started spiralling smoke and Harry thought he would pass out. He couldn’t smell anything at all apart from the damn limes and rosewood. The other pairs had also finished theirs, and now the room was smothering him. 

Professor Slughorn was walking from table to table, checking on progress. Harry and Draco, with their palms squeezing their faces tight, shot their free hands up to signal that they were finished. Their knuckles collided mid-air. 

“ **Ow!** Bugger off, will you?”

“Watch yourself, Malfoy!”

A snort of laughter rang out. Harry and Draco turned to see Hermione giggling, and Pansy next to her, doubled up and snickering. They were never going to hear the end of this.

Professor Slughorn hustled over, peered into their cauldron, and clapped both boys on the back. “I knew you both could do good work together! Have you taken a whiff?” 

“ ‘Can’t smell any’fing, Professor. ‘cept broom polish.” Draco said, pinching his nose. 

“Me too. No change at all while we were working.” added Harry. The lemons and rosewood were no longer very stifling. It was pleasant again. 

Professor Slughorn looked at them both and chuckled, shaking his head. “Full marks. Good on the both of you!” 

Harry and Draco didn’t celebrate. They hadn’t smelt anything _new_ in their potion. They shared one long stare, and unexpectedly, a mutual understanding. 

“Oh.” said Harry.

“Fuck.” said Draco. 

* * *

Ron was up and about two days later, and nearly fainted after hearing about Harry’s Amortentia from Hermione and Pansy. They had run off somewhere hand-in-hand afterwards, leaving a gobsmacked Ron alone with Harry.

“Mate, I’m cool with you liking blokes and all, but _come on!_ Malfoy?”  

“It-it could’ve been his cologne. It was hot and the heat probably made it spread…”

“It’s alright. I can still be your best man when you get hitched, right?” 

Harry smacked him half-heartedly with his textbook.

 

* * *

On his way back to Gryffindor Tower three days later, Draco grabbed Harry’s arm and begged him not to scream. “We need to talk.” 

Harry tried to wrench himself free. “No we don’t.”

“Yes, we do! You know we’ll have to anyway.”

“If this has to do with the Amortentia…”

“It has  _everything_ to do with the Amortentia.” said Draco. His face is perfectly calm, but there was a hint of hysteria in his voice. He’d probably spent the last few days freaking out as well. 

Harry folded his arms and tried to look nonchalant. “Fine. We’ll talk.” 

“Over Butterbeer at tomorrow’s Hogsmeade visit?” 

Harry’s mouth fell open slightly. “Wha- Malfoy, I’m not going out with you because a damn potion said we should!”

“Oh-”

“And frankly, I don’t want to go out with you _**because**_ a damn potion said we should.”

It was Draco’s turn to fold his arms and appear nonchalant. “What does that mean?”

“I’ll go out with you of my own accord, _Draco.”_

Draco dropped his arms and stared at Harry. Harry stared back, and winked _._  


End file.
